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II, 20.
GENERAL RULES OF PROCEDURE.
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offender. Mândavya acquired the reputation of a thief in consequence of a decision passed without considering the circumstances of the case.
14. Dishonest men may seem honest, and honest men dishonest, so that wrong notions may be easily created; therefore sentences should be passed after due consideration of the circumstances only.
15. By killing an aggressor, a man does not commit sin by any means. He who takes the life of one approaching with intent to murder him is no offender.
16. If one abused returns the abuse, or if one struck strikes again, and kills the assailant, such a man commits no offence.
17. He who refrains from killing an aggressor who abuses him aloud, and is ready to murder him, (because the aggressor) is a virtuous man (otherwise) and practices regularly the recitation of the Veda, obtains the same reward as for performing a horsesacrifice.
18. The judgment in a doubtful matter is declared to be of four sorts, according as it is based on moral law, or on the issue of the case, or on custom, or on an edict from the king.
19. Each of these has been declared to be twofold by the sages, owing to the diversity of legal affairs.
20. When the matter in dispute has been decided according to equity, after due deliberation, and
15. Vîram. p. 24.
16. Raghunandana, p. 9. 17. Vîram. p. 25. 18. Vîram. p. 8. See Narada I, 1, 11 (above, p. 7).
19-24. Vîram. pp. 118, 119. I read, with Smritik., divyair vâ sodhitah in 21; pramânaniskito in 22; and pramânarahitâ in 24.
20, 21. The first kind is when the truth has been duly ascer
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